A Dragon against the Whole World-Chapter 189 - 180: The Ominous Star Sweeps Across the Land
The eastern sky was just touched by a faint glimmer of dawn, while the hue of the gray-blue night still dominated the celestial territory.
Up to this point, the Molten Iron Followers had destroyed the last totem pole, almost killing all the resistors, leaving only a few trembling captives who had given up resistance, as they tidied up the aftermath.
Suddenly, smoke and dust rose from the horizon, obscuring the sky.
The earth began to tremble.
It was as if an ancient beast was awakening.
Galos’ vertical pupils slightly contracted as he gazed at the ground, seeing the mighty and unstoppable Bloodhoof Team, churning up a storm of flying sand and stones, rolling over the land like a giant dragon.
"They’ve finally arrived."
The Red Iron Dragon’s gaze was icy, precisely locking onto the most heavily burdened and profound figure within the Bloodhoof Team.
It was a sturdy Minotaur, with a physique several times larger than the Dragon Vein Gluttonous Demon. The Giant Mammoth beneath him seemed small by comparison.
His muscles coiled around like a dragon, with a pair of rugged, towering horns reaching skyward as if they could pierce through the firmament. His pitch-black eyes were like bottomless abysses, showing no emotional reaction, and his entire being exuded a terrifying, chaotic, and evil aura with an indefinable life level.
"Sure enough, a demon regression, with a very high concentration of Demon Blood."
The breath of the abyss mingled with the wind assaulted Galos, who perceived the danger emanating from Bloodhoof Baal, a formidable opponent not to be underestimated. Ordinary young dragons would do best to flee if encountered.
Baal acutely sensed the gaze falling upon him.
He lifted his head, his sight penetrating distances and clouds to lock onto the Red Iron Dragon circling in the high sky.
In terms of size, the White Dragon was the largest of the three dragons in the air at the moment, but Baal did not focus on it; his dark eyes only held the image of the Red Iron Dragon.
This dragon, incredibly strong to an unimaginable degree, with every part of its body seemingly a deadly weapon, was the true leader of everything.
Baal understood this at once.
"I’ve been deceived by conventional wisdom. Dragons are not just arrogant and foolish; there are intelligent and powerful individuals too."
Baal remained expressionless, silent in his heart.
In future encounters with the Dragon Race, he would never make the same mistake again.
Since his birth, Baal’s rise was not smooth. His appearance and temperament, different from other Minotaurs, subjected him to cold stares and discrimination from a young age.
He had faced failure more than once.
But he learned to draw lessons from failure, not one to be conceited or overconfident.
Each failure, as long as it did not kill him, made him stronger.
"This time will be no exception."
Surrounding his home base were plains as Baal led the Bloodhoof Team to race across the land, raising dust like a dragon.
On the other side, amongst Minotaur prisoners who had already dropped their weapons, lying prone on the ground,
a Warrior felt the tremor of the earth, smelled the scent of his kin, his bloodlust rekindling, his eyes turning blood-red, suddenly leaping up, only to have his neck chopped off by a nearby Ogre’s axe.
"Leave none alive!"
The Dragon Lord had given orders that victory was the ultimate goal of this war; nothing else mattered.
Now that the Bloodhoof Team had returned, the real battle was about to commence. The prisoners might backstab, making them a hassle to keep around, so it was simpler to kill them all.
The Molten Iron Clan was composed of almost entirely savage and brutal creatures, aside from the Centaurs.
Even the Centaurs were fierce and warlike, showing no mercy to their enemies.
Each monster swung their blades to decapitate the rebelling captives, creating rivers of blood.
In the distance, the Bloodhoof Team approached ever closer.
"Warriors of the Molten Iron Clan! The battle is not over; form ranks!"
The Gluttonous Demon spat out a broken bull horn from its mouth and howled to the skies.
The combat units of the Hammer of Shattered Stars were the first to rise, tall figures donning steel armor, stepping with earth-shaking strides to form a wedge formation in the center of the ruins.
They layered like bricks, quickly establishing a steel wall, while the tenacious Jackal-Wolf Folk and Kobolds under Hodgson’s lead filled the gaps, working with the Ogres like iron thorns on a battered wall.
Centaurs, Giant Wolf Knights, Hyena Knights, Giant Lizard Knights.
The most mobile Red Iron Riders situated at the flanks, their lances and arrows glistening with cold sheen.
Finally, assorted Mages, Shamans, and Casters formed the Eye of Annihilation in the rear, few in number yet crucial, ever prepared to cast various spells.
The Bloodhoof Team and Molten Iron Legion were charging toward one another.
Like two giant beasts, their thunderous strides rapidly drew them near, engaging in close combat within moments.
Baal led the charge.
Leaping from the Mammoth, he descended rapidly to the ground.
As his hooves struck ground, a solid shockwave rippled out, and the heavy-armor Ogre formations were hit as if by a meteor, with three of the sturdiest armors caving in and being blasted away, crushing a whole row of Jackal-Wolves behind them.
"Kill!"
Kalu roared, crashing through several Minotaur Warriors, launching himself like a projectile toward Baal, brandishing a wolf fang club studded with diamond spikes.
Baal, barehanded, had no weapon.
He twitched an ear, turning to punch.
His powerful fist, swift as lightning, struck the chest of the Gluttonous Demon even before its wolf fang club could land.
The irresistible force was like a mountain crashing down with the roar of the sea.
Kalu’s armor shattered, his chest caving seriously, his mighty form knocked several meters away, like a ragdoll, plowing a long furrow in the ground.
The White Dragon Trish roared, vibrating her wings as she swooped down towards the Bloodhoof Chieftain.
"Oh, Ancestral Spirit, grant me strength!"
The White-maned Shaman beat his chest, stamping his hooves. His originally stooped and frail body suddenly swelled like an inflated balloon, muscles expanding wildly. Instantly, from a feeble old appearance, he transformed into a twelve-meter giant, his body etched with all sorts of dense tattoos and totems.
Before the White Dragon Trish could approach the Bloodhoof Chieftain,
the Giant Minotaur conjured the power of the earth and hurled stone projectiles like cannons at the dragon, then engaged in a fierce battle with her.
The legions of both sides churned like a grinder of flesh and bone.
War cries, roars, and the clash of weapons and armor resounded continuously under the sky.
Elvira darted through the air, continuously shooting Bursting Demon Arrows at the Minotaurs.
However, before she could get close, she was blocked by earthen stones rising from the ground. The shattered rocks exploded like bullets, indiscriminately sweeping through the surrounding Minotaurs and Molten Iron Followers.
A few lifelike Giant Eagle Spirits were summoned by the Bullhead Shaman, spreading wings over ten meters wide to dash through the sky, attacking the mixed-blood Centaurs.
The Dragon Vein Werewolf swung its claws, battling fiercely with a Minotaur warlord wielding a heavy sword.
Both sides’ Warlock Corps kept casting spells, empowering their units, weakening or directly attacking the opposition. Magic beams, curse marks, and elemental flames lashed out wildly across the battlefield.
The gathered Molten Iron Legion was not weak, and the strong Warriors and Shaman Mages within the Bloodhoof Team were not few, perhaps even more.
The heads of the Molten Iron Legion were all embroiled in battle.
Especially with Baal’s presence.
He was unstoppable, mercilessly crushing any enemy in his path.
The Red Dragon Samantha, witnessing this, let her intelligence regain control.
She didn’t approach Baal, instead attacking other Minotaur leaders, relieving pressure on the Molten Iron Legion.
Baal was not invincible; his body bore a few tear wounds from Flying Dragon Claws.
Yet, these injuries healed instantly with Baal’s deep breathing, absorbing some energy from the battlefield, his aura slightly growing.
"Capable of growing in battle or rather absorbing death energy?"
"No wonder, since he assumed leadership, the Bloodhoof Clan has been on a path of expansion and conquest."
The Affiliated Legion couldn’t wear Baal down; instead, it fueled his arrogance. Realizing this, Galos knew it was time to act.
Baal shattered a Giant Troll into a mist of blood, suddenly halting as he looked upward sharply.
The Red Iron Dragon descended like a scarlet meteor, the sharp whistling of its wings cutting through the air, overpowering all sounds of battle. It made a beeline for the Bloodhoof Chieftain, using its body as a weapon to strike.
